Families with students in Durham Catholic schools are being invited to a series of free live webinars this month about how the province assesses reading, writing and mathematics, with the first session on reading set for Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.
The webinars are hosted by the Education Quality and Accountability Office, the provincial agency that administers standardized tests to Ontario students, and are being promoted to local families through a notice from the Durham Catholic District School Board.
Three sessions this month
The first session, an EQAO Literacy Session for Families focused on reading, takes place Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at 6 p.m. It will explain how EQAO assesses students' reading skills at key stages of their education.
According to the board's notice, EQAO staff will walk through reading samples and questions from the primary- and junior-division assessments, as well as from the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Participants will learn how those passages and questions are used to assess the skills students are learning in class.
A second literacy session, focused on writing, follows on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 6 p.m. That webinar will cover writing prompts and questions from the primary- and junior-division assessments and the secondary school literacy test, again with staff explaining how the material reflects classroom learning.
The final session, on Thursday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m., is aimed at parents and guardians of Grade 9 students. It will look at questions from the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics and how they measure the math skills students are learning in class.
Resources for parents and guardians
In all three webinars, EQAO staff will also highlight insights and resources that parents and guardians can use to support their child's learning at home.
The sessions are free and open to parents and guardians, though advance registration is required through EQAO's online webinar portal.
All sessions begin at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
Families with children in the Durham Catholic board, which serves students across Ajax and the rest of Durham Region, can find registration links through a notice from the Durham Catholic District School Board.
